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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · lash · stick · wake · club · last · spring · bank

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. last — finally
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — to go on
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. last — final
  16. club — a group
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bank — for money
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com